What Lies Beyond the Eternal Tommorow
by Xife
Summary: (XENOGEARS) My attempt to write a post-game story that no one has done. Please RR.
1. Chapter One: Fate seperates us

Almost as if the meeting of the nine heroes was fate, the world was now in peace at last. No more war, no more grief... and no more Deus. The world was free from the painful grasp of that monster, and everyone who had been plagued when the Limiters were removed was now completely cured. The celebration of this joyous occasion would not stop for days, as the Yggdrasil soared through the air toward the newly formed Shevat, which rested on an endless field of snow.  
  
The world was safe forever from Deus, the Demi-Humans and Reapers, -Wels- were cured and put back to normal...  
  
Standing in front of Queen Zephyr was none other than the nine unlikeliest of heroes: Billy Lee Black, Ricardo Banderas, Citan Uzuki, Chu-Chu, Emeralda Kashim, Maria Balthasar, Bartholomew Fatima, and the two lovers Fei Fong Wong, and Elly Van Houten. They stood proud side by side, proud of their achievement and grateful for what God had given them for watching over them, protecting them, and leading them into victory when the odds looked slim.  
  
Standing beside Queen Zephyr was Jessiah Black, Old Maison, Sigurd, Margie, and Yui Uzuki. They all seemed proud to call these nine people, there –saviors-.  
  
"The snow... it ceased falling." Queen Zephyr had said to the nine, turning to look at them. "You truly are the world's Saviors. All of you, I couldn't be more... grateful."  
  
They all knew they were saviors of the world, and hell, they were proud of it. But what bugged out the nine heroes was the fact that after this meeting... they will never see each other again. They will carry on their original lives, and those who lost their home-town... those who lost their life... would have to start up another one of their own. 


	2. Chapter Two: We are the same

Ricardo, or Rico, did not seem too joyous about this occasion unlike everyone else who seemed thrilled to have saved the world. Not only did he have to learn how to adapt to the life without Kislev, he was now what everyone else was: a Human being. He now had long-red hair, which came down to his shoulders, an average body-build, and a stunning good looking face (though he doesn't think it is).  
  
He didn't seem as if he fitted in with everyone else, he felt strongly that he was the same outcast that he was before. He walked alone to the Yggdrasil, his gaze fixed on his human, tanned hands, he despised them... but deep in his heart, he always prayed for this figure.  
  
"Rico, what troubles you?" Asked a meekly voice which he knew right off the bat who it was.  
  
"... I need time alone, Emeralda." Rico answered in his chilling voice, and without even looking at her he slowly descended down the ladder into the Yggdrasil.  
  
Emeralda was tempted to follow him, but a frail hand was placed on her shoulder, stopping her.  
  
"Leave him be, Emeralda. He needs time to adjust... He needs time to adjust to everything that has been going on around here."  
  
The calm, gentle voice of Billy soothed her soul, his touch had stopped her from moving.  
  
...  
  
Rico had stared at his face, studying how he looked and what resembled his Demi-Human figure.  
  
"... The body-build seems the same." He said to himself, flexing his right arm to reveal large, muscular forearms. "The face seems to be the only thing that changed."  
  
He had been in his room for several hours, just studying how he looked and how he would try to act human instead of a 'Demi-Human' that he didn't realize that he forgot to say his Good-bye's to everyone who must've been dropped off home.  
  
Thud thud thud.  
  
"Open up, Rico! It's me, Bart! OPEN UP!" Shouted a voice that almost seemed distant, faint, quiet... The banging on the door did not stop, though Rico wished it would cease.  
  
He didn't want to talk to anyone right now, not only did he go through a physical change, he lost his home... he lost everything that meant something to him. He lost his Demi-human figure, his best friend Hammer, Kislev, and his father... Sigmund.  
  
"Open up!"  
  
...  
  
"Open. UP!"  
  
...  
  
"OPEN UP!"  
  
"ALRIGHT, DAMN IT!"  
  
The steel-reinforced metal door slid open, as Bart and Emeralda walked into the small room that once housed Rico and Hammer.  
  
"About time, Rico." Bart implied, crossing his arms firmly on his chest. "The hell were you doing in here?"  
  
There was a long pause, before Rico answered. "Sleeping."  
  
Bart looked at the bed, when he saw that it hadn't been touched. The bed was made already.  
  
"Sleeping, eh...?" Bart said, lifting his eye-patch to reveal the Fatima Jasper to glare at Rico.  
  
He didn't seem to flinch. "Yeah, sleeping."  
  
"... Anyhow big guy, the crew needs to know where you're going to be dropped off. We're not mind readers but we obviously know you can't go back to Kislev because it's... well, destroyed. So, make your choice."  
  
Another long pause between Rico and Bart, where was he going to stay? He had nowhere to go he belonged nowhere besides Kislev, which was completely destroyed. Only the battle arena stood, but it was packed with fighters, him coming in would just make it even more crowded.  
  
"I was wondering if I could stay on the ship until I have a place to go." He asked hesitantly, not knowing if it was rude or not.  
  
"Like Emeralda? No problem, we have plenty of space now that everyone is off the ship. Take as much time as you want." Bart said, nodding his head before sidestepping Emeralda and headed toward the door.  
  
"Hey, kid... Bart!" He called out.  
  
He stopped and looked over his shoulder.  
  
"I... er... thanks, Bart. I am truly grateful."  
  
"Hey, don't mention it." Bart said, flashing Rico a smile before leaving the room closing the door behind him.  
  
It was just Rico and Emeralda now, and it was odd because they hadn't really conversed much and avoided each other a lot.  
  
There was a long silence, where Rico laid on his back in his bed, and Emeralda sat down on the bed that once belonged to Hammer.  
  
"... So, where'd everyone get dropped off at?" Rico had asked, breaking the extremely weird silence. "That is... if you know. I mean, I only said Good Bye to Maria and Chu-chu because they stayed in Shevat..."  
  
She sighed. "Fei, Elly, Citan, and Yui were dropped off at Lahan, where they will help rebuilt their town. Billy, Jessiah and Primera went to the orphanage to start a house. Jessiah forgot to take his gear, though and Margie was brought back to Nisan where she would start her life as the Holy Mother."  
  
Rico let out a low-whistle as he turned over onto his side to face Emeralda. "I'm guessing we're the same..."  
  
"And why do you say that?"  
  
"We have no home to return too." 


	3. Chapter Three: Like Father, Like Son

Billy Lee Black and Jessiah Black entered the Ethos Head quarters to see it in ruins, the smell of corpse still loomed the building as well. It was a painful sight to Billy, seeing his ideals shattered when Stein had sent assassins to kill off every last member of the Ethos Headquarters.  
  
The young boy almost cried, the bitter feeling in his heart grew large while he walked through the corridors of the building before a large blockade refused him entry.  
  
He tried to remove the blockade, even fired a bullet at the piece of wall, but it was no use. The thing was just too strong for him to move.  
  
"... Guess this is the end of the line," he spoke silently, placing his revolver into its holster, turning to see that Jesse, his father, had been standing behind him.  
  
"Found what you needed, kid?" Jesse asked.  
  
"I can't. There's this big chunk of the wall blocking the way out." Billy replied, turning back to the blockade, frowning. "I can't get the thing because it's in the Bishop's Room and that's all the way up the stairs into the Sleeping Quarters."  
  
There was a silence between the two, Billy examining the blockade and Jesse thinking of a way to move it so that his son would know be able to grasp the 'thing' he wanted. Jesse's mind sparked an idea as he pushed his son aside.  
  
"Move a bit back, kid. I'm going to blast this thing to little o' bits." Jesse demanded, reaching into his trench-coat pocket and grasping a small chip-like figure and placing it against the debris.  
  
After doing so, Jesse ran far from the blockade as a beeping sound echoed through the eerie silenced corridor of the Ethos Head Quarters.  
  
Beep...  
  
Beep... Beep... BEEP...  
  
A small explosion occurred which had shattered the blockade into small fragments of rocks that they could easily toss aside to walk up the stairs into the Ethos sleeping quarters. Holding his revolver firmly with his right hand, Billy slowly ascended up the stairs and into the halls of the Ethos Sleeping Quarters and his father trailing close behind him.  
  
This area of the building was clean, surprisingly. Billy faintly remembered it being covered in blood when the assassins were stabbing the preachers and priestesses, killing them off swiftly.  
  
A slight moving sound echoed through the dull hallway.  
  
"Ye' hear that, Billy?" Asked Jesse, reaching behind his back and retrieving his shotgun. "Someone is here."  
  
Billy nodded, cocking his revolver with his thumb as he walked through the halls quietly, trying to trace where that sound had come. All the doors were closed in the area, all but one... The one room at the end of the hall, where it was left ajar and a small light beamed through the dark corridor, the Bishop's Room.  
  
He signaled his father, jerking his head toward that one door which was mysteriously open. Jesse nodded, as he led his son toward the door. They worked together... like father and son.  
  
Jesse gave him the signal, as he kicked open the door followed by the clicking of his shotgun being cocked and loaded, armed to shoot.  
  
The little room was very tidy, a bed was left made and a girl sat by the window where the sun beamed its beautiful rays through the dirty window. The child didn't stir, she just stared out the window, silent. Billy didn't understand why the child was in here, but he couldn't just stand there and watch the child just stare out at the window in this forsaken place. Billy was about to call out for the girl, but Jesse muffled his mouth with his padded glove.  
  
"Billy... leave." Jesse demanded in a low growl, turning to face his son.  
  
"Father, please!" Billy said in a muffled voice, brushing his father's hand off his mouth. "Be kind, it is merely a child..." Billy whispered, nudging his father with his elbow so that he wouldn't have to be so tense about such a situation. "Let me handle this... Little Girl, come over here. This isn't a place for a child to be dwelling in...!"  
  
The child turned it's head in a 360 angle as it faced the father and son... her face had been half worn away, dried stains of blood on her white night gown and blood stains on her cheeks. It didn't respond, it just faced them... without a word.  
  
"I'll put you to rest," Jesse said calmly, lifting his shotgun and pulling the trigger. Bullets were fired at the girl, and it slowly hit the ground, blood filling up the floor.  
  
Jesse had walked up to the child, falling on his one knee and placing a small chip on its chest, then retrieved a remote from inside his pocket.  
  
"Father... what WAS that?" Billy had asked after a short silence between them, Billy still shocked at what he saw.  
  
"... It was a human. The Driver wasn't removed from the girl so she remained as a Reaper, and I'm guessing she had some sort of problem where her face was being eaten away slowly or something." Jesse started, pressing buttons with the remote. "My guess is that when Deus was killed, she returned to her human state. So...-"  
  
"She turns into that..." Billy had finished, coming to his father's side to see what he was doing. "I thought grief of being deformed had ended with Deus... God... who knew such a thing still existed."  
  
Jesse continued to press buttons on the remote, as the girl slowly deteriorated into the chip and a small explosion occurred in front of them, making Billy flinch slightly.  
  
"Well that's that. Let's go find that thing you were looking fer', Billy." Jesse said calmly, getting up from the floor and dusting the dirt off his knees.  
  
"Oh, yeah... I forgot!"  
  
Billy shouted, turning toward the draws leaned up against the side and pulling open the bottom draw to find a golden cross with a gemstone in the center. Pulling it up by the chain, he tucked it away in his pocket as Jesse jaw was left open.  
  
"That it?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Alright, let's get out of this hell hole."  
  
They entered the Ethos Head Quarters like Father and Son, they left the Ethos Head Quarters like Father and Son... 


End file.
